Cilantro Lime Sauce (for Fish, Tacos + Chicken!)
Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs
on Jun 9, 2022 (last updated Jan 28, 2026) 
Vibrant, fresh, and easy to whiz together in a blender or food processor, this 5-minute cilantro lime sauce is perfect with fish, shrimp, fish tacos, chicken, rice bowls and more. Truly, it elevates just about anything you pour it on! Plus it’s easy enough to whip up any night of the week.
5 star review
“It is so tasty and will be perfect for salmon and shrimp.”
– JRZYGRL
The Perfect Cilantro Lime Sauce for Fish, Tacos, Chicken & More!
I don’t know about you but I love fresh, herby sauces (bonus points if they’re multi-purpose and can be drizzled over all-the-things!). So from the moment I started testing versions in my kitchen, I knew I wanted this sauce to be vibrant & tangy, with a clear cilantro lime flavor profile.
For that reason, I made it without sour cream, yogurt, or mayonnaise, which means it also happens to be naturally dairy-free and vegan. I love that this deceptively simple sauce uses only a handful of ingredients and comes together in just a blender or food processor.
So while it tastes like a fancy restaurant-style sauce and looks impressive enough to serve for any special occasion, this blender sauce is easy enough to make any night of the week. Use this cilantro lime sauce to quickly & effortlessly dress up a weeknight dinner! It goes well with almost any protein (see my reader-favorite cilantro lime marinated chicken and slow cooker cilantro lime chicken for inspo) and almost any dish, even drizzled on cottage cheese!
PS – This sauce is a great way to use up any leftover fresh cilantro in your fridge before it goes bad. More flavor and less food waste, for hardly any extra effort on your part!
Testing Notes from My Kitchen to Yours!
- Cilantro: Since it’s the signature, star ingredient, fresh cilantro works best for this recipe. Aside from the fresh & herby flavor, it adds a gorgeous vibrant green color that makes this simple sauce feel special enough to serve for any occasion. Note that since this sauce is blended it’s fine to use both the cilantro stems and leaves.
- Garlic: I love the flavor of fresh garlic in this recipe (rather than pre-minced jarred or dried), especially given that we’re using so few ingredients.
- Avocado oil: I love the light flavor of the avocado oil in this recipe. But you can also use any other neutral flavored oil in its place like olive, vegetable or canola oil.
- Ground cumin: The earthy flavor of the ground cumin complements the other ingredients in this sauce so well. It’s one of my favorite & most versatile spices to keep on hand in my pantry!
- Lime juice: The lime juice adds a bright, fresh and tangy flavor to this sauce and pairs so well with the cilantro. You could also use fresh lemon juice in its place, but either way, try to use fresh rather than bottled for best flavor.
- Honey: This ingredient is optional, but I use the natural sweetness of the honey to provide a nice balance to the other flavors in this recipe.
Cilantro Lime Sauce (for Fish, Tacos + Chicken!)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup avocado oil, or other neutral flavored oil
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup fresh lime juice
- 2 cups packed fresh cilantro, leaves and stems
- 1 tablespoon honey
Equipment
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Sauce Instructions
- Add the oil, garlic, cumin, salt, lime juice, honey and cilantro to a blender or food processor. Blend on low until just combined.
- Use as a drizzle sauce, dipping sauce, salad dressing or more.
Notes
- Sauce makes ⅔ cup or about 6 servings. For Whole30, low carb & vegan – omit the honey.
- Nutrition information calculated including honey.
I omitted the honey and cumin, put a tablespoon rather than a teaspoon of salt by accident – this is the first time I have ever made a marinade. It is so tasty and will be perfect for salmon and shrimp. Thank you so much for this recipe. I will definitely try adding cumin the next time.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this one and that you discovered how easy making a marinade can be! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This was just what I was looking to use as a sauce for leftover grilled chicken. Excellent on a bowl of greens, avocado and roasted pine nuts.
So glad you enjoyed this simple sauce recipe, Kato, and I love the idea of serving with greens, avocado and pine nuts. Yum! Thanks for sharing your review.
Absolutely delicious!
Yay, Diane, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. 🙂
I had my family over this weekend and I made your sauce for barbecued chicken thighs, and it was a huge hit! Both my sisters copied the recipe for their own houses. And we all watched side eyed as my daughter, who is very adamant that she “hates cilantro” practically lick her bowl and give it 5 stars. I told her after what the secret ingredient was and she was only mad for a few minutes;)
(We made bowls of rice, chicken, broccoli & sauce)
Katie, ahhhh, love this! So happy to hear this was a hit with the whole fam, including your sisters, and love that it converted your cilantro-hating daughter (at least this time!). Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Very yummy! I drizzled it over brown rice, black beans, tomatoes, and avacado’s!
Debra, yay, so glad you enjoyed this simple sauce! Love how you served it, too, sounds so delish! Thanks so much for leaving a review.
I have made this marinade twice already and it will be a regular in our meal rotation. We served it at a dinner party with chicken and everyone asked for the recipe- it was so good! Last night I used it on tofu and it was amazing. It is so flavourful both as a marinade and a dipping sauce.
Barbara, wonderful to hear you’re enjoying this easy marinade so much! I love the idea of using it with tofu — I’ll definitely have to try that next time. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Our garden was giving a surge of cilantro so I made this minus the honey for pan sauteed ling and added the excess liquid over the pan with sauteed mushrooms, onion, bok choy and leftover roasted potatoes. Delicious.
Ann, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, especially with garden cilantro. Yum! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Love the sauce. Will use it on grilled chicken or shrimp. Can you freeze the sauce?
Lia, yes this one freezes well!
Loved it!
Jared, fantastic! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, and thanks for leaving a reivew!
Mixed about prepared 1/2 sauce with a bag of rainbow slaw to serve with seasoned shrimp tacos. Absolute perfection! I liked the sauce so much I used the remainder to spoon on top of my tacos. Hubby loved it combined with the slaw as well! Definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Holly, what a great idea to use this sauce to make a slaw for fish tacos. Yum! Thanks for the tip and for leaving a review!
Is this freezeable?
Tanya, yes! You might lose a bit of the bright green color but this sauce freezes well. Let it defrost in the fridge and then bring to room temp and stir well and you’ll be good to go!
Great recipe to use with leftover cilantro and to have to put on almost anything! Thank you
Margarita, yay, so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, and I agree, the perfect use for leftover cilantro. It freezes well, too, so if you have extra feel free to pop it in the freezer. Cheers!
This sauce is beautifully balanced. It has made boiled eggs, avocado and chickpea curry positively sing. I had a go-to sauce with more sugar and oil. This one is really perfect for us.
Miriam, ohhh, I love the idea of using this cilantro sauce to top a curry, what a great idea! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed, thanks so much for sharing your notes and leaving a review!